Patrick Lefevere, manager of Etixx-Quick Step, still has lots of confidence in Tom Boonen. The Belgian also has clear goals for Mark Cavendish and Zdenek Stybar, with both riders aiming at the Tour de France.

This year Etixx-Quick Step will have a few less Belgians than they had last year. “That’s a pure coincidence,” manager Patrick Lefevere tells Sporza. “We've always been a pretty international team."

One of the remaining Belgians is Tom Bonnen. “Everything indicates that he has not lost anything physically. He is still able to perform as in 2012, but then everything needs to go well. Details make the difference at the highest level.

“Everything also have to be right in his head. A happy Tom Boonen can still surprise a lot of people. I think he still has the power and explosiveness. I am not too worried about that.”

Etixx-Quick Step will be able to rely on several riders in the classics. "I like to have competition between the leaders. We have always opted for that. With Uran we want to try in the Giro and then perhaps in the Tour," Lefevere said.

For the sprints, Mark Cavendish will be the Etixx-Quick Step leader. "This year I want to ride the Tour again, but I don’t consider it as a chance for revenge," Mark Cavendish tells Sporza. "Crashes are just part of the game and you have to continue. But I hope I will be spared for bad luck this year.”

"It's simple: I want to win as much as possible from Milan-Sanremo - a true monument. But I am not focused on a specific number of victories. For some riders, one stage win in the Tour is enough to make an entire career.

"My biggest goal of the season is the Tour. I want to do well. For me that's always the perfect time of year. I hope I will be in great shape and don’t have any crashes.”

The Brit starts his season in the Tour de San Luis. “I like to ride in Argentina,” he says. “It is very relaxed, the organization is very good and there will be a few good sprinters at the start.”

Cavendish also reveals that he is unlikely to go to the 2016 Rio Olympics. “The course is not for me. Time trialling is not my specialty. And on the track, it is impossible without compromising the road schedule. It is unlikely that I will go to Rio.”

Zdenek Stybar is one of the Etixx-Quick Step leaders in the spring. "We have one of the best teams. It is time for me to win a classic, but a lot can happen in the races. You cannot predict the scenarios. The race will decide how we will do,” the Czech said.

"I really want to be in top condition for the spring, but you also need some luck. Maybe I missed that a bit last year. I would also like to do the Tour but first I am focused on the spring. Only then I will start to think about the remainder of the season.”